Single lace boot with multiple compression zones

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a single lace boot with multiple compression zones. In one embodiment, the present invention is a boot having a first side and a second side opposing the first side. The boot also has an upper zone located near a top portion of the first side and the second side, a middle zone located below the upper zone, and a lower zone located below the middle zone. Furthermore, the boot has a plurality of lacing mechanisms located on the first side and the second side and a single lace with a first end secured to one of the plurality of lacing mechanisms in the upper zone and a second end secured to one of the plurality of lacing mechanisms in the lower zone.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY UNDER 35 U.S.C. §119

The present Application for Patent claims priority to U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 60/885,345 filed on Jan. 17, 2007, entitled“SINGLE LACE BOOT WITH MULTIPLE COMPRESSION ZONES,” and assigned to theassignee hereof and hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The present invention relates to a single lace boot with multiplecompression zones.

2. Related Art

Winter sports such as snowboarding or skiing require an extreme amountof control from the feet. This intense focus on the feet also puts anextremely large amount of forces and stress on the feet. Thus, the bootsa user wears is critical to the user's performance and also to thecomfort of the user's feet. Without boots that fit properly,snowboarders or skiers, for example, won't be able to maximize theirperformance and skills and also have the potential for feet and bodilyinjuries. However, feet come in all different shapes and sizes andtraditional boots do not customize the fit of the snowboarding or skiingboots for each user. Therefore, there is a need for boots capable ofcustomizing its fit to the user's feet.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment, the present invention is a boot having a first sideand a second side opposing the first side. The boot also has an upperzone located near a top portion of the first side and the second side, amiddle zone located below the upper zone, and a lower zone located belowthe middle zone.

Furthermore, the boot has a plurality of lacing mechanisms located onthe first side and the second side, and a single lace with a first endsecured to one of the plurality of lacing mechanisms in the upper zoneand a second end secured to one of the plurality of lacing mechanisms inthe lower zone.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features, objects, and advantages of the invention will become moreapparent from the detailed description set forth below when taken inconjunction with the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a boot;

FIG. 2 is a side view of a boot;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a boot;

FIG. 4 depicts a lace lock;

FIG. 5 is a cut away view of a lace lock;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a boot;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a boot;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a boot;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a boot; and

FIG. 10 is a front view of a boot with only one zone control portion.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Methods and systems that implement the embodiments of the variousfeatures of the invention will now be described with reference to thedrawings. The drawings and the associated descriptions are provided toillustrate embodiments of the invention and not to limit the scope ofthe invention. Reference in the specification to “one embodiment” or “anembodiment” is intended to indicate that a particular feature,structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodimentis included in at least an embodiment of the invention. The appearancesof the phrase “in one embodiment” or “an embodiment” in various placesin the specification are not necessarily all referring to the sameembodiment. Throughout the drawings, reference numbers are re-used toindicate correspondence between referenced elements. In addition, thefirst digit of each reference number indicates the figure in which theelement first appears.

FIG. 1 is a front view of the boot 2 and FIGS. 2 and 3 are side views ofthe boot 2. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the boot 2 has a first side 48and a second side 46. Although in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the first side 48is associated with a lateral side and the second side 46 is associatedwith a medial side, they can be reversed so that the first side 48 isassociated with the medial side and the second side 46 is associatedwith the lateral side.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the boot 2 also has an upper zone 4, amiddle zone 6, and a lower zone 8, which encompasses both the first side48 and the second side 46. The middle zone 6 comprises a top portion anda bottom portion. The upper zone 4 is located near a top portion of thefirst side 48 and the second side 46 on the boot 2, the middle zone 6 islocated below the upper zone 4, and the lower zone 8 is located belowthe middle zone 6 and near the bottom of the boot 2. The lower zone 8 isalso located on top of a vamp 10.

There are also a plurality of lacing mechanisms 22, 24, 30, 34, 36, 58,and 76 on the first side 48 and a plurality of lacing mechanisms 26, 28,32, 38, 40, 42, 44, and 78 on the second side 46. The lacing mechanismscan include, but are not limited to, lace loops, lace locks, and tubing.The lacing mechanisms can also include more or less of the lace loops,lace locks, and/or tubing as shown in FIG. 1, for example, one or morelace loops, lace locks, and/or tubing can be omitted or added to thelacing mechanisms shown in FIG. 1 while still maintaining the spirit andscope of the invention. Furthermore, the lacing mechanisms shown in FIG.1 can be replaced by other types of lacing mechanisms.

In FIG. 1, the lacing mechanisms 24, 30, 32, and 38 are lace loops, thelacing mechanisms 26, 28, 34, 36, 40, 42, 58, 76, and 78 are tubing, andthe lacing mechanisms 22 and 44 are lace locks. The lace loops are alsoknown as “ghillies.” The tubing may be made of a material such asleather, vinyl, cloth, plastic, or rubber. In one embodiment, the tubingmay be made of a plastic waterproof material. The lace locks 22 and 44are positioned on the upper zone 4. The lace locks 22 and 44 may bepositioned on the upper zone 4, the middle zone 6 and/or the lower zone8.

A single lace 12 having a first end 54, a second end 50, an upper zonecontrol portion 16, and a lower zone control portion 14 is fed throughthe plurality of lacing mechanisms. The term “single lace” means onlyone lace, which is unbroken and undivided. Portions of the single lace12 can be, for example, internally laced within the boot 2. For example,the tubing 42 can be embedded within the boot 2 or formed by the boot 2and thus a portion of the single lace 12 may be internally laced withinthe boot 2. The tubing 42 is used to hold or guide the single lace 12.Also, for example, between the lace lock 22 and the tubings 58 and 76,the single lace 12 may be internally laced within the boot 2 as shown bythe dashed lines.

The first end 54 of the single lace 12 is secured to the lace loop 24,which is secured to the upper zone 4 of the boot 2. The second end 50 ofthe single lace 12 is secured to the lace loop 38, which is secured tothe lower zone 8 of the boot 2. The first end 54 and the second end 50can be secured to the lace loop 24 and the lace loop 38, respectively,by a variety of ways, including but not limited to, tying a knot,utilizing a clamp, or sewing the single lace 12 onto itself or onto theboot 2. In FIG. 1, the first end 54 is secured to the lace loop 24 by aknot 56 and the second end 50 is secured to the lace loop 38 by a knot52.

Although FIG. 1 shows the first end 54 located on the first side 48 andthe second end 50 located on the second side 46, both the first end 54and the second end 50 can be located on the first side 48 or the secondside 46. Also, the first end 54 can be located on the second side 46 andthe second end 50 can be located on the first side 48.

The upper zone control portion 16 includes a loop of the single lace 12on the first side 48 of the upper zone 4. When the upper zone controlportion 16 is pulled in a first (e.g., upward) direction, the upper zone4 and the upper portion of the middle zone 6 are compressed because thesingle lace 12 tightens these areas of the boot 2.

The upper zone control portion 16 can also optionally have, for example,a grip 20 to aid in gripping the upper zone control portion 16. The grip20 may be made of a flexible or hard plastic or rubber material. Thegrip 20 can include, for example, a lace clip 21, which can be attachedto a portion of the boot 2 to reduce the movement of the single lace 12when the boot 2 is in motion.

The lower zone control portion 14 includes a loop of the single lace 12on the second side 46 of the upper zone 4. When the lower zone controlportion 14 is pulled in a first (e.g., upward) direction, the lower zone8 and the lower portion of the middle zone 6 are compressed because thesingle lace 12 tightens these areas of the boot 2.

The lower zone control portion 14 can also optionally have, for example,a grip 18 to aid in gripping the lower zone control portion 14. The grip18 may be made of a flexible or hard plastic or rubber material. Thegrip 18 can include, for example, a lace clip 19, which can be attachedto a portion of the boot 2 to reduce the movement of the single lace 12when the boot 2 is in motion.

The grips 18 and 20 can be, for example, a padded handle, a plasticcover, or any other type of device suitable to aid the user in grippingthe single lace 12 and/or protecting the single lace 12.

FIG. 10 is the boot 2 with only one zone control portion. In oneembodiment, the boot 2 includes only one zone control portion, such asonly one of the lower zone control portion 14 or the upper zone controlportion 16. For example, if the boot 2 includes only one zone controlportion, then pulling the one zone control portion compresses the upperzone 4, the middle zone 6, and the lower zone 8. For example, the lacelock 22 and the upper zone control portion 16 can be removed and thesingle lace 12 can pass through the lacing mechanism 58 directly intothe lacing mechanism 76. Also, the tubing 42 can be shortened so thatthe lacing mechanisms 40 and 78 are positioned in the middle zone 6.This allows the lower zone control portion 14 to more evenly tighten theupper zone 4, the middle zone 6, and the lower zone 8.

FIG. 4 depicts one embodiment of the lace lock 44 and FIG. 5 depicts acut away view of one embodiment of the lace lock 44. As shown in FIGS. 4and 5, the lace lock 44 has a plurality of locking teeth 80 that formtwo V-shaped grooves and eyelets 82. The single lace 12 is fed through afirst eyelet 82, looped upward, and then through a second eyelet 82 toform the lower zone control portion 14. Both V-shaped grooves run from afirst (i.e., outer) side 86 to a second (i.e., inner) side 88. The firstside 86 of the V-shaped groove is the larger side of the V while thesecond side 88 of the V-shaped groove is the smaller (i.e., narrower)side of the V. Thus, there is more space for the single lace 12 towardsthe first side 86 and less space for the single lace 12 towards thesecond side 88. When the single lace 12 fits into the V, the single lace12 is locked by the plurality of locking teeth 80 and when the singlelace 12 is on the outside of the V, the single lace 12 is released fromthe plurality of locking teeth 80.

When the lower zone control portion 14 is pulled in a first direction60, which is substantially straight up, then the lower zone 8 and thelower portion of the middle zone 6 are compressed because the singlelace 12 tightens these areas of the boot 2.

When the lower zone control portion 14 is pulled in a second direction68, which is substantially backwards, then the lower zone controlportion 14 becomes engaged with the plurality of locking teeth 80towards the second side 88. However, when the lower zone control portion14 is engaged with the plurality of locking teeth 80, any tension suchas stretching of the boot 2 or pulling of the single lace 12 increasesthe engagement of the lower zone control portion 14 with the pluralityof locking teeth 80.

When the lower zone control portion 14 is pulled in a third direction84, which is substantially upwards and forwards, the lower zone controlportion 14 is disengaged from the plurality of locking teeth 80 and islocated near the first side 86. Although FIGS. 4 and 5 depict the lacelock 44, the lace lock 22 has a similar construction utilizing thesingle lace 12 and the upper zone control portion 16.

FIGS. 6, 7, 8, and 9 depict the boot 2 in operation. In FIG. 6, a userplaces his leg 70 into the boot 2. The boot 2 has an optional releasetab 74 attached to the single lace 12. Although only one release tab 74is shown, two or more release tabs 74 can be utilized.

In FIG. 7, the user grabs the grips 20 and 18 with hands 72 and pullsthe upper zone control portion 16 and the lower zone control portion 14in a first direction 60, which is substantially upwards. As seen througharrows 62, 64, and 66, this tightens the upper zone 4, the middle zone6, and the lower zone 8.

In FIG. 8, the user grabs the grip 20 with hand 72 and pulls the upperzone control portion 16 in a second direction 68, which is substantiallybackwards. This engages the upper zone control portion 16 with the lacelock 22. Although not shown, the user can also grab the grip 18 withhand 72 and pull the lower zone control portion 14 in a second direction68, which is substantially backwards, to engage the lower zone controlportion 14 with the lace lock 44.

In FIG. 9, the user grabs the grips 20 and 18 with hands 72 and pullsthe upper zone control portion 16 and the lower zone control portion 14in a third direction 84, which is substantially upwards and forwards.This disengages the upper zone control portion 16 and the lower zonecontrol portion 14. This then allows for the tension within the singlelace 12 to be relaxed and for the user to remove his leg 70 from theboot 2 or adjust his leg position within the boot 2. To aid the user inrelaxing the tension of the single lace 12, the user can pull on therelease tab 74, which is attached to the single lace 12.

The previous description of the disclosed examples is provided to enableany person of ordinary skill in the art to make or use the disclosedapparatus. Various modifications to these examples will be readilyapparent to those skilled in the art, and the principles defined hereinmay be applied to other examples without departing from the spirit orscope of the disclosed apparatus. The described embodiments are to beconsidered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive andthe scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appendedclaims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which comewithin the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to beembraced within their scope.

1. A boot comprising: a first side; a second side opposing the firstside; an upper zone located near a top portion of the first side and thesecond side; a middle zone located below the upper zone; a lower zonelocated below the middle zone; a plurality of lacing mechanisms locatedon the first side and the second side; and a single lace with a firstend secured to one of the plurality of lacing mechanisms in the upperzone and a second end secured to one of the plurality of lacingmechanisms in the lower zone.
 2. The boot of claim 1 wherein the middlezone includes an upper portion and a lower portion.
 3. The boot of claim2 wherein the single lace is fed through the plurality of lacingmechanisms.
 4. The boot of claim 3 wherein the single lace furtherincludes an upper zone control portion.
 5. The boot of claim 4 whereinthe upper zone control portion includes a loop of the single lacepositioned adjacent to the first side of the upper zone.
 6. The boot ofclaim 5 wherein when the upper zone control portion is pulled in a firstdirection, the upper zone and the upper portion of the middle zone arecompressed.
 7. The boot of claim 6 wherein the single lace furtherincludes a lower zone control portion.
 8. The boot of claim 7 whereinthe lower zone control portion includes a loop of the single lacepositioned adjacent to the second side of the upper zone.
 9. The boot ofclaim 8 wherein when the lower zone control portion is pulled in thefirst direction, the lower zone and the lower portion of the middle zoneare compressed.
 10. The boot of claim 9 further comprising: a first lacelock located on the first side, wherein the upper zone control portionis fed through the first lace lock; and a second lace lock located onthe second side, wherein the lower zone control portion is fed throughthe second lace lock.
 11. The boot of claim 10 wherein when the upperzone control portion is pulled in a second direction, the upper zonecontrol portion is secured to the first lace lock and when the lowerzone control portion is pulled in the second direction, the lower zonecontrol portion is secured to the second lace lock.
 12. The boot ofclaim 11 wherein when the upper zone control portion is pulled in athird direction, the upper zone control portion is released from thefirst lace lock and when the lower zone control portion is pulled in thethird direction, the lower zone control portion is released from thesecond lace lock.
 13. A boot comprising: a first side; a second sideopposing the first side; an upper zone located near a top portion of thefirst side and the second side; a middle zone located below the upperzone, the middle zone including an upper portion and a lower portion; alower zone located below the middle zone; a plurality of lacingmechanisms located on the first side and the second side; and a singlelace fed through the plurality of lacing mechanisms with a first endsecured to one of the plurality of lacing mechanisms in the upper zoneand a second end secured to one of the plurality of lacing mechanisms inthe lower zone, the single lace including an upper zone control portionand a lower zone control portion.
 14. The boot of claim 13 wherein theupper zone control portion includes a loop of the single lace on thefirst side of the upper zone and when the upper zone control portion ispulled in a first direction, the upper zone and the upper portion of themiddle zone are compressed.
 15. The boot of claim 14 wherein the lowerzone control portion includes a loop of the single lace on the secondside of the upper zone and when the lower zone control portion is pulledin the first direction, the lower zone and the lower portion of themiddle zone are compressed.
 16. The boot of claim 15 further comprising:a first lace lock located on the first side, wherein the upper zonecontrol portion is fed through the first lace lock; and a second lacelock located on the second side, wherein the lower zone control portionis fed through the second lace lock.
 17. The boot of claim 10 whereinwhen the upper zone control portion is pulled in a second direction, theupper zone control portion is secured to the first lace lock and whenthe lower zone control portion is pulled in the second direction, thelower zone control portion is secured to the second lace lock, andwherein when the upper zone control portion is pulled in a thirddirection, the upper zone control portion is released from the firstlace lock and when the lower zone control portion is pulled in the thirddirection, the lower zone control portion is released from the secondlace lock.
 18. A boot comprising: a first side; a second side opposingthe first side; an upper zone located near a top portion of the firstside and the second side; a middle zone located below the upper zone,the middle zone including an upper portion and a lower portion; a lowerzone located below the middle zone; a plurality of lacing mechanismslocated on the first side and the second side; and a single lace fedthrough the plurality of lacing mechanisms with a first end secured toone of the plurality of lacing mechanisms in the upper zone and a secondend secured to one of the plurality of lacing mechanisms in the lowerzone, the single lace including an upper zone control portion includinga loop of the single lace on the first side in the upper zone, whereinwhen the upper zone control portion is pulled in a first direction, theupper zone and the upper portion of the middle zone are compressed, anda lower zone control portion, including a loop of the single lace on thesecond side in the upper zone, wherein when the lower zone controlportion is pulled in the first direction, the lower zone and the lowerportion of the middle zone are compressed.
 19. The boot of claim 18further comprising: a first lace lock located on the first side, whereinthe upper zone control portion is fed through the first lace lock; and asecond lace lock located on the second side, wherein the lower zonecontrol portion is fed through the second lace lock.
 20. The boot ofclaim 19 wherein when the upper zone control portion is pulled in asecond direction, the upper zone control portion is secured to the firstlace lock and when the lower zone control portion is pulled in thesecond direction, the lower zone control portion is secured to thesecond lace lock, and wherein when the upper zone control portion ispulled in a third direction, the upper zone control portion is releasedfrom the first lace lock and when the lower zone control portion ispulled in the third direction, the lower zone control portion isreleased from the second lace lock.